Essential

Outline

Essential (2024) examines how distributed teams, artificial intelligence, and global change are reshaping leadership and the relationship between people and organisations. Christie Smith and Kelly Monahan argue that technology makes human qualities such as trust, judgement, empathy, adaptability, and connection more important rather than less important. The book presents a human-powered leadership model intended to help organisations redesign work, use technology responsibly, and give people greater opportunity to contribute meaningfully.

• Distributed teams, artificial intelligence, and global change are reshaping both leadership and the relationship between people and the organisations they work for.
• Technology makes human qualities more important, not less, so leaders should not treat them as optional extras.
• Trust, judgement, empathy, adaptability, and connection are the qualities that matter most as work changes.
• The book offers a human-powered leadership model to help organisations redesign work around their people.
• Technology should be used responsibly, in ways that give people more opportunity to contribute meaningfully.

Christie Smith and Kelly Monahan are American organisational leaders, researchers, and advisers specialising in workplace transformation, leadership, culture, and emerging technology. Smith has held senior leadership roles at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture, while Monahan has led research on the future of work, human behaviour, and technological change. Together, they examine how organisations can combine digital capabilities with the judgement, creativity, and relationships that remain distinctly human.